Evan scowled.
Well, if he thought his pouty face would scare her off, he was mistaken. She’d seen far worse from her younger twin brothers. She arched a brow and wiggled her outstretched hand. Yep, she could wait all day.
The tension lines bracketing his eyes and mouth eased, and he engulfed her hand with his. “Evan. Let’s get out of here.”
He said they should go, but he didn’t release her hand. In fact, his grip firmed, and his nostrils flared. Oh crap, if he scented her, he’d know…. Bingo. His eyes widened in recognition, and his gaze practically shot laser holes into their joined hands.
Fireworks fried her palm. The mate bonding energy shot up her arm, seeking, exploring—
Papers and plastic landed with a loud splat on the counter. “Here’s your card and paperwork. You’re all set, Evan.”
Alleluia, an interruption. Mina tore her hand free and hightailed it back to her baggage by the carousel, working hard to get a grip on her emotions. If a meeting of their palms floored her, what would happen if she touched more of him?
Nothing she wanted, that’s what. She’d come to South Dakota for one reason—work. She had a bride, bridesmaid, and officiant to dress. Period. After the wedding, she would return to her life and business in California, alone, because she didn’t want a mate now, or ever.
And if she did? It would certainly not be her best friend’s cranky, big brother.
Chapter Two
In all his thirty-one years, Evan had never met a woman as stubborn as the feisty redhead glaring up at him while thwacking his abs with the back of her tiny, freckled hand.
“Hand over the keys, Evan.”
“No.” He’d managed civil exchanges with her while collecting their belongings and hauling them out to the rental vehicle, but once the cargo door shut, she gave him a hard look, declared him too tired to drive, and demanded the keys. Three times now.
Not happening. He opened the black Jeep’s passenger door. “Get in.”
“Did you shove cotton in your ears today? I’m not getting in until you hand over the keys.” Tension radiated from her in palpable waves.
Too bad. “You’re from Southern California. What do you know about driving in snowy conditions? I won’t risk it.”
“Risk?” She jabbed a finger at the passenger side mirror. “You look like you haven’t slept in days. You’re the crazy, sleep-deprived wolf trying to get us killed.”
“I’m not crazy. Are you always this unreasonable?” How the hell did his upbeat sister tolerate the woman?
But she had him on the lack of sleep. He’d managed four hours in the last forty-eight due to his attempts to tie up as many loose ends as possible before his trip.
She crossed her arms and firmed her jaw. He had to admit, defiance looked damn good on the little firecracker. He could count on half of one hand how many times someone had stood up to him in or out of the workplace.
“Look, Mina, we—” a big yawn cut off the rest of his sentence.
“Ha!” Triumph gleamed in her blue eyes.
Damn, she looked cute when she scowled but her smile? It could melt snow. It sure as hell softened his mood. “You’re right,” he conceded. “I am tired.”
He surveyed the sky. Clear crystal blue overhead, but the murky cloud cover moving in from the north worried him. One hell of a snowstorm from the look of it. “See that?”
She followed his stare. “Yes. So?”
“We should beat the storm to Los Lobos. Otherwise, our two-hour drive could turn into four or more if we have to stop and hole up somewhere.”
She snagged the keys from his hand. “Then we’d better hit the road.” She rounded the Jeep and climbed in. “Come on, Wolf Man. I promise you, I’ve handled a car on icy roads and in blinding snow. My family likes to spend winters in Tahoe.”
Wolf Man? She’d known him less than an hour, and she’d devised a nickname for him. His wolf growled his approval while he joined her in the SUV. But his wolf could forget about it. He didn’t care how good she smelled or looked, or if she’d given him a pet name. He certainly planned to ignore the mating energy, though it had practically shredded him when they’d shaken hands. His siblings might be ready to settle down with their forever mates, but Evan had no such plans for his future.
He shoved his ass into the Jeep and buckled up, using more force than necessary and earning himself an eye roll from the little firecracker. She started the engine without a word.
To his surprise, before pulling out, she patted his knee and winked. “Now sit back, relax, and sleep. I promise to get us there in one piece. Each.”
His lips quirked. Feisty redhead. He might even like her sense of humor. He folded his arms across his chest and shut his eyes. “Just keep it on the road, Red.”
“That’s the plan, Wolf Man.”
Why did Evan have to smell so good? Mina tried counting down “one hundred bottles of whiskey on the wall” and naming every state from A to Z in her head, but Evan’s woodsy scent swarmed the car, scrambling her concentration. And she couldn’t crack the window, since it was a bazillion degrees below zero outside. Snowflakes whooshed over the car, and the highway stretched out ahead of her, seeming unending in the whitened world. Wind buffeted the vehicle, and the sky darkened to an ashen gray, blotting out the setting sun. Shoot, they hadn’t beaten the storm.
She firmed her grip on the wheel and glared at the hopefully not super slippery pavement, listening to the steady cadence of Evan’s breathing mixed with the rhythmic pulsing of the windshield wipers. Around them the mountains loomed like oversized, dark sentinels covered in cotton. Gorgeous and terrifying, like a Christmas snow globe come to life and threatening to shove them off the road.
I don’t want to be driving. But she had no choice. Evan oozed bone-deep fatigue. She knew a thing or two about it, having experienced a similar level of exhaustion after her work all-nighters, or as her brothers liked to call them, her “feral fashion frenzies.”
She smiled to herself. They would laugh their asses off to see her in charge of a monster Jeep on a snowy highway in the mountains instead of cruising on a coastal road by the Pacific in her tiny blue Mini Cooper, car top down and singing to her tunes. Actually, if they were here, her younger-by-two-years but seriously dominant twin brothers would have stuffed her in the backseat and made the same fuss as Evan about her driving.
Silly dominants. She hazarded a few glances between the road and her sleeping companion. His head had tilted in his sleep, turning his face in her direction. He didn’t look nearly as grumpy as he had in the airport. In fact, the frown lines around his eyes and mouth had disappeared, leaving smooth, tan skin behind. Thick dark lashes rested above chiseled cheekbones, and his full lips were parted. She fought the urge to nip at the lower, fuller one. It should be a crime to be so handsome. Seriously.
She shook her head. Stop it. Ignore the beautiful man. Do not admire his looks. Remember his prickly attitude. She had absofrigginlutely no time for a relationship with Mister Tall, Tan, and Broody. Her inner wolf raised her furry head and huffed at her as if to say, Idiot. Claim him.
A soft grumble erupted from her throat. Yes, it had been a gosh darn long time since she’d experienced any pleasure not found by her own hand or pink rabbit vibrator, but it didn’t mean she would jump on the first guy to activate her hormones in…whoa, had it actually been ten months since her last date? Her evening sex-toy dates didn’t count, so, yep.
Wow, twenty-six years old and already a workaholic spinster?
She frowned. I love my work, and I love my life. I do. As if in response to her internal argument, Evan grunted and shifted in his seat. His scent stormed her senses, shooting darts of desire to her core. Bad vagina, no sex for you.
She could use a distraction ASAP. She straightened her spine and rotated her neck, easing the kinks created by driving carefully in snowy conditions. She hit a bumpy patch of road, and the bounce battered her full blad
der, a result of the gigantic coffee she’d consumed prior to hopping into the car.
Darn it, now she had to pee. She scanned their surroundings. Remote. Nature, nature, and more nature. No sign for a rest stop. The side of the road would have to do. She switched on her signal though they drove the only car on either side of the highway, slowed, and swerved as gently as possible onto the shoulder.
Still, the Jeep bounced and slid over rough rock, snow, and a hidden patch of ice. “Shit.”
The incline to stuck-forever-in-the-middle-of-nowhere with Mister Grumpy loomed too close for her liking. She bashed down the brake pedal, and the car slid to a hair-raising, jerky halt.
“Fuck!” Evan exploded awake, arms flailing, head swiveling. He grabbed her arm as she jammed the gearshift into park.
“Ow, let go, Hulk.” She shook off his hold and killed the engine while he glared a hole in her face.
“What happened? Why are we on the side of the road?”
Man, she didn’t have time for his crankiness. She unclipped her seat belt. “I have to pee. Sit tight, Grumpy. Be right back.” She popped the locks and grasped the door handle.
“Hold on.” His big hand encircled her upper arm again, gentler now, but firm enough she received the message—he wouldn’t let her go. “Are you saying you almost killed us so you could take a piss?”
Kill them? Mina ground her teeth together to prevent the first, second, and third snarky comebacks hovering on the tip of her tongue. “You could use a serious attitude adjustment. You know that, don’t you?”
Judging by the red tinge creeping over his handsome face—and why did he have to look so damn cute even when angry?—she’d failed at civil. Oops.
“My attitude?”
“You heard me, Hulk.” She gave the hand holding her arm a pointed look. “Plan on smashing me, are you?”
His eyes widened, and he released her fast, rearing back. ”You are the craziest person I have ever met.”
“Right back at you, Wolf Man.”
“Stop with the pet names.”
She shrugged. “Doubtful you’d make a good pet. Bet you’d eat anyone who tried to own you.”
His jaw practically hit the floor. “Have we regressed to elementary school kids? Jesus. Why are we having such an insane argument?”
She sniffed. “You started it.”
“Again I say, grade school conversation.” He yanked the keys from the ignition. “And, for the record, I’m sure as hell driving us now.”
She opened her mouth to tell him where he could put his dominant attitude, but nature tap-danced on her bladder, reminding her why she’d stopped the SUV in the first place. “Whatever. Back in a sec. Enjoy your alone time.” She collected her empty coffee cup from the center holder and bolted from the car, slamming the door on his reply.
Snow fell fast and thick around her, and she thanked the weather gods for the cover as she hunkered down behind some bushes and a snowbank to complete her business. Additional thanks to her earlier coffee stop for the napkins in her jacket pocket. Not one to litter, she wadded the used napkins in the empty cup and trudged back to the car, shivering all the way. Winter here made winter in Tahoe seem like spring. Perfect weather for a nice snuggle. What she wouldn’t give to curl up against a warm, male body.
Not happening with Evan, though. The scowl on his face and his rigid posture as he stood by the car glaring in her direction told her cuddle time did not exist on his to-do list. Fine by her. Cars had heaters and heated seats for a reason.
She stopped in front of him. “I see your time-out hasn’t improved your mood.”
His brows, already scrunched, furrowed further. “Time-out? Now we’ve sunk to toddler talk?”
Her blood boiled at his arctic tone. “It’s kindergartener talk, if you must know. And if the tantrum shoe fits, then yes.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t reply with a comeback, although his face turned an interesting shade of red, quite like the Pink Lady apple-red chiffon she’d brought along, destined to be a cute, little flirty skirt, a surprise gift for Lexi.
“Look, Red, you—” He clamped his mouth shut and stalked away, headed for the same bushes and snowbank she’d hidden behind.
Mina secured her coffee cup trash in the trunk then bumped her head against the SUV’s back window, once, twice. Why in the name of everything couture did she keep arguing with Evan? Never in her life had she experienced such a problem getting along with someone. Lucky her, the first time it happened? It was with her best friend’s brother. Good grief, what would Lexi think about her behavior?
But, seriously, why were so many dominant males so freakin’ bullheaded? She’d dated her share of think-they’re-always-right men, and every single one of them, no matter how smart, had to be in charge. Had none of them heard of partnership and compromise? Cooperation and collaboration?
The sputtering roar of an engine and the acrid tang of exhaust startled Mina from her men-are-idiots musings. A beat-up blue pickup truck stopped on the highway next to her. She glanced back down the road. Not a car in sight, but, still, how stupid were these people? Stopping on the road instead of pulling over like a normal person invited disaster.
The truck’s engine coughed and sputtered. The driver gunned the gas, spewing enough exhaust to sting her nose and cause a coughing fit. The passenger side window rolled down, and a deeply tanned and lined male face peered out at her.
Black eyes looked her over from head to toe. “Want a ride, sweet thing?”
The hairs on her nape stood at attention, and her stomach knotted. The double entendre of his question coupled with the look of lust on his wizened face flew so far from appropriate her inner wolf growled and bristled. Mina straightened her spine and glared, though she really wanted to snarl at him. Maybe shift and scare the pants off the stupid old coot. “No thanks. I’m waiting for someone.”
Dirty Old Coot gave her another once-over, his gaze lingering on her chest then her mouth. He rubbed a hand over his bald head. “Sure you are, honey.” He banged his fist on the side of the car, making her jump. “Come on in here. I’ve got somethin’ for you that’ll pass the time.” He pulled his arm back into the car and jiggled in his seat, leaving no doubt at all what else he jiggled with his hand.
Oh, hell, no, he didn’t just say.... Or do.... Ew. Hands fisted, she stepped toward the car, a low growl trickling from her throat. “You need to leave.”
The dirty old dude laughed. “You hear her growl, Michael?” He leaned his head out the window and took a deep inhale. “Hello there, wolf. Thought we’d bagged a human bitch, but this is much better.” He gestured at her. “Do as you’re told, little bitch, and get on in here.”
Lovely, not solely idiot males, but idiot male wolves. Well, her brothers had taught her a thing or two about dealing with men like these creeps. Mina snarled, letting her dominant energy out to play. “I’m no omega, you stupid old windbag. Now get lost before I really lose my temper.”
Her comment wiped the smile off the old wolf’s face. The driver leaned over, his face a younger version of the old man’s. “Sounds like someone needs a lesson in manners.”
Crap. She’d expected her dominance to dissuade them from a public altercation, but apparently they’d never received the “Shifter Secrecy” memo. Or, they believed no one at all would drive around in a worsening snowstorm in early evening in the mountains. Double and triple crapola, they were probably right.
The driver killed the pickup’s engine, and the bad, bald wolf man opened the passenger door. Mina glared at him and braced for her shift, thanking the wolfie gods her family could switch at will from animal form to fully clothed human. No way did she want to be naked in front of these two.
She called her wolf, but a wave of energy hit her from behind. Her metaphorical shifter door slammed shut. Strong arms surrounded her and yanked her against a tall, hard body. “Evan.”
He didn’t say a word, and man oh man, he didn�
�t need to. His dominant power roared for him, roiling the air between them and the men. Mina’s inner wolf yipped and yowled, practically turning wolfie cartwheels inside her. Ours, he’s ours, make him ours. Mate him.
The passenger door slammed shut. The driver snarled. “Luparell.” He said Evan’s last name like a curse, or a warning.
Shivers shot down Mina’s spine. Evan tightened his hold on her, his energy intensifying. He growled. The sound vibrated through her body, his energy lighting her up like a sparking fuse, damn near pulling a whimper of submission from her. She melted against him, his arms the only thing keeping her from a seat on the snowy ground.
The pickup truck sped off and disappeared in the worsening storm. Mina closed her eyes and let Evan’s warmth and strength soothe her frayed nerves. Were these truck-driving lowlifes the kind of wolves awaiting them in Los Lobos? If so, how on earth could her take-no-prisoners pal Lexi stand living there?
She cleared her too-dry throat. “Well, that was certainly interesting.” Silence greeted her comment. She wiggled in his grasp. “You can let go now.” A feral sound rumbled from his chest, bathing her body in goose bumps. Needy, lusty goosies. “Evan?”
He spun her around. Wild amber eyes gazed down at her, his hands squeezing the heck out of her upper arms. His chest heaved with his rapid breathing. Whoa, he looked so angry and worried and so crazy cute, her core clenched and spasmed with want. “Easy, Wolf Man. We’re okay.”
“The hell we are.” He kissed her.
It was official. Evan’s wolf had hijacked him. And his wolf wanted the stubborn, maddening, bossy chick though she had done nothing but challenge his every move and decision since they met. Except his present move. No fight here.
She moaned, her lips as soft as Evan had tried not to imagine every time she’d opened her lush mouth to toss some comeback his way. Welcoming his possession, she molded her curvy little body against his, setting every one of his nerve endings on red alert. Her floral scent and the musk of her arousal surrounded him, sending a bone-deep need to claim her straight to his cock.
Jasmine Moon Page 2
